Back to You
by InkDrops.FoxTails
Summary: Gil is an artist, an artist who has posted his art online for quite awhile. And when he meets John, the world flips upside down. (T for slight adult themes (depression))


**A/N: It's kind of late, but...this is a short Christmas present for** **The Pied Piper's Assistant! The lyrics, of course, aren't mine; they're from a song called 'Back to You' by Wild. I hope you all enjoy! (Oh, and on the subject of 'the Taken,' I'll post it soon!)**

 **Back to You**

 _I'm giving everything I got_

 _God knows I know it's not a lot_

 _I'm heading somewhere but I don't know where just yet_

Gil had been posting his art online for nigh two years; admittedly, it was mostly fan art and rough sketches. However, he loved the excitement of reading the comments, growing as an artist alongside his viewers. Art was his crutch when his father left the family, when his brother and mother moved to America, when he headed off to California as an exchange student. It was the one thing that he did not need English to explain—the lines and colors and expressions did the talking for him. And one day, John Laurens left a comment on Gil's painting of the sea, typing in fluent French.

* * *

 _I've still got something left to prove_

 _Prove that there's nothing that I won't do_

 _Do what it takes so I can bring you back again_

 _All my life you're the one thing that's always been real_

Gil, secretly hoping John lived close, sent a private message, using an online translator as his English was beyond broken—" _Merci beaucoup_ for the comment! After flipping through your gallery, I started to wonder if you would want to do an art trade! Would you like to?"—and waited a few minutes, fingers raking through his curly hair anxiously. Within minutes, he had a reply: " _Bien sûr, mon ami_!"

* * *

 _(Ooh ooh) I'm gonna follow my heart right back to you_

 _(Oooh ooh) you're the one thing I can't stand to loose_

 _(Ooh ooh) I'm gonna follow my heart right back to you_

 _(Ooh ooh) if it's the last thing that I do_

They continued to talk, long after both their drawings were completed and posted. To Gil's dismay, John resided in South Carolina, all the way on the other side of the country. Several months later, John sent Gil his phone number. With shaking fingers, Gil dialed it, bottom lip trembling between his teeth. The line clicked, there was a soft, "Hello?", accented with a Southern drawl. Gil grinned to himself, a soft laugh purring from his throat, and replied, " _Bonjour_ , how you say, y'all."

* * *

 _I've seen my share of misery_

 _But I've never felt a cut so deep_

 _All I remember is what I wish I could forget_

 _And every single thing I do, I'm gonna make it up to you_

Gil texted John almost every day after that first call—he learned "y'all" didn't mean what he had originally thought—and, eventually, the two planned to meet halfway in Kansas while Gil visited his brother Thomas, who had become a renowned politician. They met in the Spencer Museum of Art on a Saturday. The second Gil locked eyes with John, a smile bent his lips crooked and he rushed forward, running on air. John blinked as Gil barreled into him, arms wrapped around John's small frame. After a second, John hugged back, shoulders twitching with laughter.

* * *

 _It might be crazy but I won't give up just yet_

 _All my life you're the one thing that's always been real_

John and Gil spent the day together, talking aimlessly, walking around the town until they realized they had been going in circles for hours. The time came for John to head back to his hotel—his flight left the next morning, and it was late—and Gil said goodbye, promising to call later. And, as usual, Gil did just that.

* * *

 _(Ooh ooh) I'm gonna follow my heart right back to you_

 _(Oooh ooh) you're the one thing I can't stand to loose_

 _(Ooh ooh) I'm gonna follow my heart right back to you_

 _(Ooh ooh) if it's the last thing that I do_

Gil had been friends with John going on eight months when the Southerner texted him, saying he had depression. With a frown, Gil wrote it off as nothing, saying, "You sure, _amour_?" John shot back that yes, he was sure; Gil typed, "Guess that means I'm using my fortune to buy a plane ticket."

* * *

 _(Ooh ooh) I'm gonna follow my heart right back to you_


End file.
